by Gray Gardner
“When?” he loudly asked, causing her to jump and turn her eyes back up. “And don’t lie to me, Mary Madeline. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I can tell when you’re lying.”
Pressing her lips together in annoyance, she figured she’d better just tell him what he wanted to know. She opened her mouth a few times to begin, but found it harder to say then she thought. Not only was it hard to say, it was hard to hear herself say… a major reason why running away from Texas to a school on the East coast had been so undeniably appealing.
“We… Sam and I… we didn’t… I’m not really divorced…”
“You aren’t divorced?” he shouted, suddenly jumping off of the bed and taking a step back. “You… you’ve been cheating? God damn it! You made me a part of this?”
“But—”
“This is how you want to treat someone you claim to care about?”
Tears that had sprung into her eyes now flowed down her pink cheeks. He wasn’t going to let her finish and she had a lot to say. It was very complicated. All he wanted, though, was to just be unreasonable. She choked a few times as she tried to find something to say, but finally slid off of the bed and jammed her feet silently into her heels.
“What, you have nothing to say?” he growled, peering down at her, seeing her in a completely different light. Not cute, not innocent, not sexy. He saw a liar, a cheater, a manipulator… he saw every woman in his life. “So while you’re here playing the role of successful author and coy grad student your husband is at home probably pining after you?”
She swiped at her eyes as her damned foot would just not go into the shoe. She forgot about the hose and the underwear as she finally got her heels on and quickly ran out of the room. She felt so vulnerable and exposed. How had she let things get this far? She wasn’t ready. She knew she had not been ready but he was so sexy and confident and… now she felt terrible about herself.
“That’s fine, just run out the door!” he shouted, following her into the living area as she pulled her coat on and grabbed her purse. “I’ve seen what cheating women do to marriages and I don’t want any part of it… I don’t want any part of you.”
She finally choked out a cry as she opened the door and slammed it behind her. The elevator didn’t come as she frantically pressed the call button, so she threw open the door to the stairwell and ran down 12 flights of stairs just to get as far away from Maitland Frasier as quickly as possible. He was powerful and emotional. He was judgmental and wouldn’t even listen to her. He was the exact opposite of what she needed.
Honestly, she wasn’t sure what she needed. But it wasn’t him.
Chapter 11
Misery loomed over Mary in the cab ride home, all through the night, and through the next afternoon. It wasn’t until a couple of unexpected visitors banged on her door for half an hour at dusk that her thoughts even momentarily strayed from Mait.
Was it him at her front door? No, maybe it was Roberta Greer, come to kick the southern harlot out of Eastland for good. She tripped down the stairs in her black track pants and pink tank top, slowly peeking out of the bay window in the dining room at her front stoop. Gasping, she mustered up the last of her energy and ran to the door, flinging it open.
Patricia and Emma Nell stood there, baked goods in hand, giving her concerned looks. What were her best friends doing at Eastland? She totally didn’t care, as long as they never left.
She dropped her chin to her chest and let out a relieved sob, urging her friends to pounce on her with hugs and reassurances at once. They’d spoken with her by texts and over the phone and had both decided she needed an immediate intervention before things got out of hand. She’d been happy, finally… and they weren’t about to let some stupid boy ruin that.
“And after mind blowing sex he turned into an iceman and kicked you out?” Patty asked, wide brown eyes matching the brownie that hovered in front of her mouth. She finally took a bite as she waited for an answer.
Mary sighed and let her head fall back on the sea green and white pillow on her large bed. She’d thoughtfully omitted the spanking aspect of that weird relationship. Her friends wouldn’t get it. Hell, she didn’t get it either.
“He might as well have,” she hoarsely said, staring at the white ceiling fan slowly spinning. “The look he gave me said it all. I just ran out.”
“But he wouldn’t even let you finish what you were saying. I thought he was supposed to be like, brilliant,” Emmy frowned, though insults meant nothing coming out of her high pitched, docile voice.
“He’s a god damned moron,” Mary huffed, wiping a stray tear off of her cheek. “And so am I for falling for all of his bullshit.”
“You’re just not jaded,” Patty pointed out. “You still believe there are good guys out there.”
“There aren’t.”
“Don’t say that!” Patty and Emmy said at once, their matching blonde hair bouncing around as they turned their heads to look down at her.
“Rob is the last good single guy on earth, Patty, and you seem to get nice guys like Mark Werner too, Emmy, and y’all have them all to yourselves,” Mary half grinned, pushing up on her elbow.
“Sam was a good guy,” Emmy softly said, looking way too interested in her French manicure.
“I don’t want to talk about him,” Mary frowned, shaking her head.
“Then let’s talk about Mait Frasier,” Patty suggested. “He sounded pretty cool until he started acting like a total dick.”
“He’s not acting,” Mary mumbled, grabbing a brownie crumb off of the plate sitting on the comforter between them and nibbling on it. The look on his face popped into her head again. She grimaced. It was vicious. “If I’m honest with myself… and I haven’t been… he’s been a total dick all along.”
“He apologized for accusing you of cheating on the exam,” Patty began.
“A cruel campaign against me championed by said professor.”
“He didn’t punish you for getting into a football fight…”
“Not my fault and he knew it.”
“He tried to stand up for you at the Honor Council hearing.”
“He was covering his own ass.”
“He bailed you out of jail,” Patty continued, starting to get annoyed and thinking her best friend was just making up excuses now, like she’d done for the last two years. “Then kissed you.”
Mary was silent as she thought about the spanking that had come before that… and the orgasm brought on by his single finger.
“He said you looked so pretty that last night and he wished he would have brought you with him to the party,” Emmy added, uncorking another bottle of white wine as she stood by the bed. “And he made you sit at the table with his family. Guys who either don’t like or just use girls don’t do that.”
Patty and Mary stared at their normally dense friend. She’d made a valid point.
“And then I let him into my pants,” she sighed, taking the wine from Emmy. “He seemed so angry when I told him I hadn’t been with anyone for so long.”
“Sounds to me like he was acting more possessive, like he didn’t want to hurt you by forcing you into something too quickly. Mad or not… the guy cares about you,” Patty nodded, sipping her drink.
“It doesn’t matter now,” Mary quietly said, turning and facing the wall with the television. “Can we watch the movie now?”
Patty and Emmy looked at each other, then smiled and turned the John Hughes movie on. The time for talk was over; but only briefly.
Mait had spent the following Saturday and Sunday brooding alone in his condo, drinking scotch and ignoring calls. He didn’t even prepare for his Monday classes. He couldn’t. Mary Madeline was on his mind. Her cute smile and sweet accent and tight body and… ugh, the little cheater.
She’d totally blown what little faith in women he’d developed. His mom had cheated on his dad for years and was only now mending their broken relationship. It was not what he wanted, which was why he’d avoid
ed relationships altogether for 35 years.
His dad had confessed to him one drunken evening that he and his mother had just started being “intimate” (gag) again for the first time in ten years. Ten years. That was how long they hated each other after discovering the infidelity… and no telling how long the infidelity had been going on. Mait wasn’t about to let himself get trapped in a life like that.
And that damn little princess Mary Madeline had actually gotten him thinking otherwise. Briefly he’d imagined what it would be like coming home to her every day. And it had made him happy.
Now… he was miserable.
He chastised every student who dared speak out during classes on Monday. And in his Historiography class he wasn’t the least bit surprised to discover that she was not in attendance. The only disruption of the day was waiting in his office when he stomped in at 5:15.
“Oh, wait!” Brad quickly instructed, hopping up from his desk and standing between Dr. Frasier and the door to his office… and his drawer of scotch that he desperately needed.
“What, Mr. Adams?” he barked, annoyed.
“Um, you have, uh… visitors,” he nodded, not sure how to word what had barged in and demanded to wait in the professor’s office. Tall blonde and small blonde, he’d dubbed them. And that was all he knew other than the fact that they appeared to be totally pissed off.
“I don’t have time for this,” he muttered as he opened his door and walked into his office. Two girls with perfect blonde ponytails and harsh scowls met him as he stepped inside. He didn’t recognize them from any of his classes, but they were good looking enough to distract him momentarily.
“Uh,” Brad nervously said from the doorway. He figured whatever was about to go down needed a witness.
“Here,” Dr. Frasier curtly offered, handing out scotches to everyone as he poured. He downed his as Brad sipped and the girls simply squeezed the glasses in their hands. “What can I do for you?”
“You can stop being such a fucking asshole,” the tall one blurted out… in a not-so-sweet southern accent.
“And you can pull your head out of your ass and see what you’ve done!” the little one tried to shout in a voice that reminded him of a helpless cartoon mouse.
“Please tell me you aren’t friends with—”
“Mary Madeline?” the tall one frowned, arms crossed over her chest. “Got one person on your mind, huh?”
“You have five seconds to get out of here before I call security to drag you out,” he grumbled, eyeing Brad at the door. “Well? Call security, Brad!”
Brad swallowed and glanced back at the girls. They looked too cute and harmless, and campus security did not take unwanted visitors lightly. They’d get the police involved if Dr. Frasier had them removed from his office.
“Your time is up,” Dr. Frasier informed the two girls, glancing at his worthless TA staring in the doorway. He picked up his desk phone and shook his head with a malicious grin. “Always think you can get your own damn way—”
“Put the phone down, Frasier, and listen to what we have to say,” the tall one demanded.
“You know what?” he loudly said, narrowing his gaze at her. “I don’t think I will! I think I’ll have things my way for once! What do you think about that, you god damned little princess?”
Both of his Waterford glasses sailed at his head, scotch spraying everywhere as he ducked and heard them shatter on the wall behind him. What was it with Texas girls and throwing his crystal glasses?
“God damn it!” he growled through his teeth, rounding his desk towards the girls. He was losing control and was pretty certain he’d regret any actions he’d take in the next minute. But he didn’t care. He was ready to release some of his emotions.
The tall one was already on him, gesturing wildly and shouting.
“Sir… ow!” Brad yelped, trying to keep his boss from doing something he’d regret and getting kicked in the shin by the little blonde one with wild green eyes. “What the hell?”
“Stay out of this, kid!” she ordered, pointing a little manicured finger at him.
“Kid?” he repeated, offended and angry as he straightened and towered about a foot over her head.
“And if you can’t shut your fucking mouth for five seconds to just listen to her explanation then maybe you don’t deserve her…” the tall blonde one was shouting, punctuating every other word with a shove into Dr. Frasier’s chest. His white shirt and baby blue tie were already stained with the scotch that had flown across the room at his head.
“Patty, just tell him!” Emmy yelled, widening her eyes at her friend who was totally losing control.
“Save your breath! If it has anything to do with that spoiled little know-it-all, then I don’t want to hear it!” Dr. Frasier exclaimed, grabbing Patty’s hands up in one of his and holding her at bay as she tried to shove him back into a wall.
Now it was Emmy’s turn to act irrationally. “You son of a bitch!” she growled through her teeth. “I actually defended you!”
Dr. Frasier had to release Patty in order to stop the flying fist of the little one. She didn’t get far, though, because as she was busy ranting and winding up to punch him Brad had approached her from behind and finally grabbed her up against his chest.
“Hey!” she squealed, kicking her feet out as his arms wrapped around her, pinning her arms to her sides.
“Quiet,” he ordered firmly into her ear. She stilled at the tone of his voice, making him grin slightly. “Dr. Frasier, we’ll leave you two alone to hash out whatever it is about Mary Madeline that’s bothering everyone around here. The two of us will wait outside. Does everyone agree?”
There were slight grunts of acknowledgement and one cry of protest as he turned and walked out. He didn’t stop at his desk in the vestibule, though. He carried her out into the empty wood-wainscoted hallway and dropped her on a wide wooden staircase tucked in a far corner of the second floor.
“What in the hell is going on?” he asked, hands on his hips as he glared down at her.
Emmy scowled up at him and stood on the first step, still not quite eye level. “That’s none of your business—”
“Hey!” he snapped, getting tired of everyone’s attitude. “Dr. Frasier is my business. Mary Madeline is obviously your business. And since you two came to our offices and tried to rumble, you’ve made it everyone’s fucking business! So I’ll ask again. What’s going on here?”
She bit her pouty lip and turned her eyes downward. Honestly, it wasn’t her place to tell but… he had a good point. They’d brought the fight there. He’d gotten mixed up in the crossfire.
He sighed, so close his breath blew out over her face. “Fine. Let’s start with something easy. What’s your name?”
“Emma Nell,” she replied, shrugging up a shoulder and still not looking at him. “People call me Emmy.”
“Emmy,” he nodded, the corner of his mouth turning up into a grin. “I’m Brad. I’m Dr. Frasier’s TA. And you’re… Mary Madeline’s friend from home?”
“Patty is. I’m a friend from college. Sorority sister, actually.”
“Sorority?” he asked, not knowing many sorority girls himself, but familiar with the porn fantasy of sorority houses. He cleared his throat and looked back down at her delicious little figure. “So you’re her biggest champions and… let me guess, Dr. Frasier has wronged her.”
“I… I don’t want to get anyone in trouble…” She bit her lip again and worry creases appeared on her forehead.
Brad took a deep breath and swallowed a couple of times. “They uh… had a relationship?”
Her eyes quickly turned to his, then to the hall behind him.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes and wondering why his boss insisted on getting involved with students. “So that brings us to why you’re here. Did he mistreat her or something? I can vouch for him. He’s a good man.”
She snorted and finally looked back up at him with big green eyes.
“Mary Madeline is a good person, too. I can see this conversation is just going to turn in circles, so why don’t we both just shut up and wait for them to finish in there?”
“Is this something that can get him fired?” Brad asked, looking concerned. Dr. Frasier had done a lot of things with students that could get him fired, but he’d never been this careless before. He carefully calculated every move he ever took in every aspect of his life.
“Ask him,” she frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. “He’s so proud of his behavior, I’m surprised he hasn’t bragged to you about it yet.”
“He’s not like that.” He hadn’t talked about a girl all semester and it was the end of March. Which was strange. From what he’d learned, Dr. Frasier was a lady-killer. This girl must have been special to him.
“Sorry, Brad, he’s just like that.”
“You’re so sure? He’s a Harvard grad with two majors, one master’s, and a PhD from Columbia. Now he’s a professor at the ninth ranked university in the world. What have you done?”
She frowned as she looked up at him. She’d barely graduated from a state college with a terrible GPA and no prospects. She’d already had six different jobs and had left all of them in search of something better.
“I,” she muttered, barely above a whisper, “I haven’t done anything.”
Brad exhaled and relaxed his shoulders. He hadn’t meant to upset her. Knock some sense into her, yes. She looked like she might cry, though. He wasn’t used to such honesty. If he’d been in a fight like this with any of the girls from his classes they would have torn him a new one before swearing up and down that everything they did was important. Her sweetness was a breath of much needed fresh air. He found himself endeared by it. Soft and sweet. It had been his first impression of Mary, too. And why was she looking at him like that?
“How much do you really know about her?” Patty asked, finally calming herself when Emmy and the TA left the room. She rubbed her shoulder and paced in front of the windows.
“Just tell me because I know that’s where this is going,” Dr. Frasier sighed, rubbing his whiskers and sipping his second drink.
